Growing Cauliflower

How To Grow Cauliflower Plants In Your Vegetable Garden

Follow these tips for growing cauliflower to harvest large heads.Learn about the conditions a cauliflower plant needs to grow well and how to grow this vegetable from seeds.

In a hot climate, success with cauliflower is virtually impossible. This is a cool season vegetable that produces large white heads,
called curds that
may weigh in excess of two pounds. A member of the cabbage family, this
plant can be a bit temperamental to grow.

To cultivate a cauliflower plant successfully
you must pay strict heed to the proper growing conditions.

How To Grow Cauliflower Plants

You may plant cauliflower at two times of the year:

right before
the last frost of the year and at the very tail end of summer for an
early fall crop.
This plant grows best in cooler climates and in moist, well drained,
nitrogen rich soils. A daily high temperature no higher than 80 degrees
is most
beneficial.

Most people will advise against starting cauliflower plants from seed, but instead to purchase starter plants online or from your local garden
center. If you pre-order your plants online they will be sent out to you at the correct time depending on your USDA climate zone (US only).

If you attempt to grow the plant from a seed, bury the seeds in flats
from a half to three quater inches deep and at a spacing of two to three
inches in a controlled environment
like a greenhouse. Arrange them in rows that are three to six inches
apart.

The seeds absolutely must be kept moist and warm or they won't
germinate.
Usually four to six weeks growing time is necessary before
transplanting them into your garden but it varies a bit depending upon
the variety.

Soil conditions: Growing cauliflower requires a slightly acid
soil with a pH of approximately 6.5. Till the soil to a depth of 10
inches and add manure or compost and
nitrogen fertilizer.

The transplanted seedlings need to be set 18 inches apart in rows spaced
30 inches apart. Also, care should be taken to prevent the
leaves from wilting since this will damage the plant.

After initially watering the sets, cover them with mulch to retain the moisture. Growing cauliflower requires one inch of water per week.
Also, growing
cauliflower needs to be in full sun for at least six hours per day,
however too much heat or cold will seriously affect the quality of the
curds.

Add a nitrogen rich fertilizer every three weeks during the growing of the plant and weed around
them very carefully and only when necessary to prevent root damage.

Whether caused by temperature extremes or drought, anything that halts the growth of
the plant will have a negative impact upon head development.

Growing Cauliflower In The Garden

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Blanching cauliflower:
Growing cauliflower plants need to be blanched to protect the
cauliflower head from the sun. Blanching involves tying the outer leaves
over the head of the
cauliflower plant when the head is about three inches wide. Failure to
do this will result in the head from turning yellow or green and
acquiring a bitter
taste.

Harvesting cauliflower: Harvest when the head is approximately
six inches in diameter. This should occur within two weeks of blanching
but you will need to untie
the leaves and check the growth of the curd every couple of days.
Cooler weather could increase this time and warmer weather decrease it.

If you do not
pick the cauliflower in time, the head will begin to turn to seed. When
the head is compact and firm, harvest it by simply cutting the main
stem.
Depending upon the variety, your cauliflower should be ready for
harvesting in 50 to 70 days.

Pests and Diseases

Some common natural enemies of growing cauliflower affect the curds and sometimes the leaves of the plant. The Imported Cabbage Worm
hatches from eggs
deposited on the plants by the Small White Cabbage butterfly. When the
eggs hatch, the worms attack the heads. Sometimes covers may prevent the
butterflies
from laying their eggs and insecticides will kill the worms.

Cabbage Looper moths also lay eggs on the plant, which hatch to feed on the curds. The
Diamond Back Moth is another predator that lays eggs on the underside of the leaves. The larvae feed on the leaves.

The disease known as Brown Head is
caused by sunlight on the wet curd that forms a mildew that will curtail head growth.

Cauliflower Varieties

Different varieties may be easier to grow under different conditions and
in different areas. Some of the different types include:

Purple Cauliflower - Though its origin is
not certain, the coloration is natural and not scientifically or
genetically induced. The same antioxidant that is found in red wine,
anthocyanin, causes the pigmentation.

All Year Round - This plant my be grown from
winter to spring and is ready for harvest in 70 days. It may also be
planted in the fall and is relatively easy to cultivate.

Winter Aalsmeer - This cold hardy cauliflower is noted for producing large curds.

Self Blanching - This type of cauliflower has leaves that curl to cover the young curds.

Sunset F1 - With orange curds, this plant is sometimes harvested early as a baby vegetable.

Emeraude F1 - Another hybrid with green curds, it is ready for harvesting from late summer to autumn.

The harvesting and planting schedules for growing cauliflower greatly varies depending on the climate of the growing region.

Successfully growing cauliflower requires the proper conditions.
You should test your soil to be certain of the proper pH and adjust your
soil throughout
the growing cycle. Moisture is vital to the sustained growth of the
plants, and the proper temperature range is critical. This is not a
plant it and forget
it crop, but with care, you can grow large healthy cauliflower.

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